Spring suspension for vehicles



July 17, 1928. 1,677,675 H. w. HYDE SPRING SUSPENSION .F'OR VEHICLES.

Filed lay 28, 1925 Patented July 17, 1928.

UNITED "STATES PATENT Oma HENRY lVEBB HYDE, OE NORTH COHASSET, MASSACHUSETTS, .ASSIGNOR TO HYDE EN- GINEERING COMPANY, OF'BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSA:

cnusn'r'rs.

Application fi1ed May 23,

This invention relates to vehicle spring suspensions of the general type shown and described in my prior application for Let'- ters Patent, filedSeptember 29, 1921, Serial No. 504,160. I

As explained in said-prior application, the invention marily in providing theyehicle with longitudinal springs or spring reaches connected.

at their ends, either directly or indirectly,

with the axles, and in supporting the body being a slight vertical onein a substantially rectilinear direction.

-The present invention 'has for its object to provide, in a spring suspension of the general type abovereferred to, a construction wherein the forces transmitted to the body will be balanced so that rocking of the reaches in either direction, due to shocks imparted to the vehicle at 'eitheren'd, will result in the application to the body of balanced forces at opposite sides of the center of gravity, thereof. tending solely to lift said body slightly in a substantially recti-I linear direction without tilting the same.

The foregoing and other objects of the invention, together with means wh'erebythe same maybe carried into effect, will best be understood from the following description of one form or: embodiment thereof, illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It will be understood, however, that the particular construction described and shown has been chosen for illustrative purposes merely, and that the-invention, as defined by the claims hereunto appendedrmay be otherwise practisedpwithout departure from its spirit and scope. I

In. said drawings: r

Fig; a side; elevation, and Fig. 2 is disclosed therein consists prisrnme susrnnsron ron -vnmonns 1923. Seria1No.641,933. I

a plan. view of a spring suspension con. structed and operat ng in accordance with the invention.

The principle of operation of a spring suspension of the general type of that to which the present case relates is fully explained in my prior application, Serial No. 504,160. For the purposes of thepresent description, this principle may be briefly outlined as follows:

In the ordinary vehicle, whether provided with elliptical, semi-elliptical, orcantilever springs, the springs, are in effect, rigidly secured to the body or frame,and any shock or blow on a wheel, due to unevenness in the road,'which causes the wheel to riseor fall suddenly, is communicated directly to the body in effect at a point directly over the axle, and since this point is at an. ex-

treme distance from the center of gravity of the body, it has a maximum tendency to v cause pitching.

In the type'of springsuspension to which the present invention relates, on the'con trary. if the front wheel, for example, be

raised, owing to an unevenness in theroad,

the tendency is forthe spring reach to turn about the pivot afforded bythe rocker on which the body is supported,but not to rock the body. It thus tends, to swing the rear end of the reach and. rear axle. downward aboutthe pivot, so that a part of the blow is absorbed by the, rear spring and" pneuinatic tire on the rear wheel." Likewise. when the rear wheel goes over an obstruction or drops into a hole, the front spring member and front wheel receive the maior. part of the reaction and the body is affected relatively little. In any event, any lifting, force, or the resultant ofsuch lifting forces as may be transmitted to the body as a result of the rocking of the reaches, is applied to the body near the center of gravity thereof. so that there is small gyra-tory force acting upon the body eccentric to its center of grayity. The effect on the body is merely tolift the pivot, and consequently the body, verticallv to a slight extent, and not to rock said body from front toback, so that the body is not given any pitching motion.

In one form ofthe invention shown and describedin my prior application aforesaid, the pivotal. rocking connection between the body and the reaches is located at one side of the center of gravity of the body, balancing springs being interposed between one of the axles and the body at the opposite side of the center of gravity of the latter, whereby upward movement of said axle results in the application to the body, at opposite sides of the center of gravity thereof, of forces the moments of which are balanced. In accordance with the present invention, a construction is provided wherein upward movement of the other .axle, resulting in an upward force applied to the body at its pivotal connection with the reaches, is also accompanied by an upward force appl'ed to said body at the opposite side of the cent-er of gravity thereof from said pivotal connection, thereby balancing about the center of gravity of the body all gyratory forces applied there to as the result of any rocking movement of the reaches under the infiuencc of road shocks of any character when applied at either end of the vehicle.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown therein a pair of spring reaches to which the body frame 10 is connected by means of coaxial pivots 11 interposed between brackets 12 and 13 bolted or otherwise secured to the said body and reaches respcctively. Each ofthe spring reaches is composed of a substantially rigid beam 14 having leaf spring extensions 15 and 16 at its forward and rear ends respectively. The extensions 15 are secured at their forward ends, as by J-bolts 17 tothe f ont axle 18 of the vehicle. The rear ends of the rear spring extensions 16 are pivotally connected,

as at 19, to the adjacent'inner or forward ends of semi-elliptical springs 20 supported intermediate their ends by hangers 21 from the rear axle 22 of the vehicle. At their outer or rear ends, at the opposite side of the axle 22 from their connection with the spring extensions 16, the springs 20 are connected by shackles 23 with the rear end of the body frame .10.

The axis of the pivots-l1, about which the body 10 rocks with respect to the spring reaches, is located forward of the center of gravity of the body, while the connection *ith the rear ends of the springs 20 (which constitute balancing springs) with the body is at the rear of the center of gravitythereof.

The forward end of the body, at the opposite side of its pivotal axis 11, is left free. Upward movement of the rear axle 22, therefore, causes opposed upward forces to be applied to the body at opposite sides of the center of gravity thereof, said forces balancing one another and preventing rocking of the body when the reaches are rocked by such movement of the axle 22, as more fully explained in my prior applicationabove referred to. In the present construction, however, when thespring reaches are rocked in the opposite direction, by an upward movement of the front axle 18, the rearends of said reaches will be forced downwardly, carrying with them the forward ends of the springs 20 with which they are connected. Said springs 20, being hung from the axle 22, constitute in effect, levers fulcrumed about the axis ofsaid axle, so that a downward force applied to their inner or forward ends by the rear ends of the spring reaches will result in the application of an upward force to the rear end of the body by the outr or rear ends of said springs, acting through the shackles 28. It will, therefore, be seen that anupward force transmitted to the body through the axis 11 by reason of the upward movement of the axle 18 is accompanied by an upward force transmitted to the rear end of the body, and these forces, being applied at opposite sides of the center of gravity of the body, tend to stabilize the latter rather than to rock the same. By the arrangement shown, the body is therefore stabilized against shocks im parted to the vehicle at either endand accompanied by a rocking of the reaches in either direction, said body returning freely to its original position as soon'as'such disturbing forces are discontinued.

Besides the springs above referredto, an additional balancing spring is interposed between the body and each pivotal 00111160: tion 19 between the springs 16 and 20; These are shown in the drawing in the form of quarter elliptic springs secured by brackets 25 to the body and connected at their ends by shackles 26 with the pivoted connections 19. The function of-the springs '24 is to compensate for variations of the live load, particularly in the tonneau. The springs 24 are relatively light, being composed of a considerable number of relatively thin leaves the friction of which upon one another enables the same to function as shock absorbers, as more fully brought out in another application, filed May 28, 1928, Serial No. 641,934.

Since the s orin s 2d are of relativel small strength their reactive force .on the body is not sufficiently great to interfere with the balanced effect of the springs above referred to, while at the same time they are sufficient to stabilize varying loads in the tonneau because their forcesgive double the effect of their pressure. That is to say, each spring 2 lpressing down at the shackle 26 gives an equal upward force on the body,bnt the downward force at 26 acting through spring 20 in its turn glves approximately an equal upward force at 23. v

The expression spring reaches is herein employed as a comprehensive term to denote longitudinal members through which the body is supported from the axles andco1nposed wholly or in part of springs. The term, therefore, is to be taken as including a unitary spring as well. as a reach composed of a substantially rigid beam to the ends of which are attached springs. .It will be understood that when the spring reach is constructed as last described, and as. herein shown, the connection between the beam and the springs is a rigidione'inthe sense that there is no pivotal or other. movable connec tion at this point.

The words rear and front and similar expressions are hereinlused as convenient illustrative terms, it being obvious that, al-

- though the construction shown is preferred for most-purposes, the suspension might be oppositely disposed, the piyotal connection between the body and the reaches being in the rear insteadof in front ofthe center of gravity of the body, and the other parts being correspondingly arranged. These, and other modifications of the construction shown will, however, be readily apparent to those skilled in the art without discussion in detail.

Having thus described my invention, I

claim:

1. A spring suspension for vehicles including a spring reach connected to an axle of the vehicle and having a freely rocking connection intermediate its ends with the vehicle body at one side of'the center of gravity thereof, said spring reach extending beyond the opposite side of said center of gravity, and a spring fulcrumed intermediate its ends and operatively connected at opposite sides of its fulcrum with said body and reach.

2. A spring suspension for vehicles includinga spring reach having a rocking connection with the vehicle body at one side of the center of gravity of the latter, and a balancing spring for the end of said body at the opposite side of the center of gravity, said balancing spring being fulcrumed intermedi ate its ends on an axle and being operatively connected at opposite sides of its fulcrum' with said body and reach, respectively.

A spring suspension for vehicles including a spring reach having a rocking connection with the vehicle body, a spring fulcrumed intermediate its ends and operative latter and connected at one end with the axle at the end of the body nearest said connection, and a spring fulcrumed intermediate its ends on the other axle and connected at its ends with the body and with the other end of said spring reach, respectively.

.5. Ina vehicle havingza body and axles,"a spring suspension including a spring reach having a rocking connection with the body at one side of the center of gravity of the latter and connected. at one end withthe axle at the end ofthe body nearest said connection, a" spring fulcrumed intermediate its ends on the other axle and connected at its ends with the body and with the other end of said spring reach, respectively, and an additional balancingspring for the body.

6. In a vehicle having a body and axles, a spring suspension comprising a pair of spring reaches and means connecting the same with said body and axles, said suspension inclucling-aspring member having a rocking connection -intermediate its ends with thebody'and a springmember supported by an axle and movably. connected with said first named spring member, and means for connecting said last named spring memher at both ends with the bodyto constitute a balancing spring.

7. In a vehicle having a body and axles, a spring suspension including a spring reach having a freely rocking connection with the body atone side of the center of gravity thereof and one end of the reach lying at the opposite side "of said center of gravity,

a spring member supported on an axle and connected to said reach, and means for connecting said spring member with the body.

8. In a vehicle having a body and axles, a spring suspension including a spring member having, a rocking connection with the body at one side of the center of gravity of the body, and one end of the member lying at the opposite side of said center of gravity,

a spring member supported by the axle at said opposite side of the center of gravity, and means for connecting said last named spring member with said first named spring member and with the body.

9. In a vehicle having a body and axles, a spring suspension comprising a pair of f'springreaches one at each side ofthe body,

each of said reaches comprising a spring member having a rocking connection with the body at one side of the center of gravity of the latter and a spring member supported by the axle at the opposite side of said center of gravity, said last named spring member being connected with said first named spring member atone side of said axle and with the body at the opposite side of said axle.

1 0. In a vehicle having a body and axles,

a spring suspension comprising a pair .of

spring reaches, one at each side of the body,

each of said spring reaches comprising a spring member having a rocking connection with the body at one side of the center of gravity of the latter and a spring member supported by the axle at the opposite side of'said center of'gravity, said last named spring member being connected with said first named spring member at one side of said axle, and means for connecting said last nained spring member with the body at both sides of said axle. I

'11. In a vehicle having abody and axles, a spring suspension comprising a pair of spring reaches connected at their ends with the axles and a connection between said reaches and the body upon which the latter is free to rock with respect tothe former, each of said reaches including a spring member supporting the body, a semi-elliptical spring supported by an axle, one end of said spring supporting the adjacent end of the body, a pivotal connection between the opposite end of said spring and the adjacent end of said spring member, and a spring interposed between said pivotal connection and the body. 7

12. In a vehiclehaving a body and axles, a spring suspension comprising a 7 pair of spring reaches connected at their ends with the axles and a connection between said reaches and the body upon which the latter is free to rock with respect to the former, each of said reaches including a spring member supporting the body, a semi-elliptical spring supported by an axle, one end ofsaid spring, supporting the adjacent end of the body, a spring secured to the body and having its end adjacent the other end of said semi-elliptical spring, and a shackle connecting the ends of said last named springs with each other and with'the adjacent end of said first named spring member.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

HENRY WEBB HYDE. 

